


The Strange Case of Amity Blight and Azi Hyde

by TheBean170



Category: The Owl House (Cartoon)
Genre: F/F, Hijinks & Shenanigans, In a sense, Jekyll and Hyde, Magical Potion, More closer to the original book than pop culture, My First Work in This Fandom, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-18
Updated: 2020-10-08
Packaged: 2021-03-07 15:55:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,634
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26520244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBean170/pseuds/TheBean170
Summary: Amity Blight had always been the perfect, uppity student of Hexside, never sparing a moment for herself and only focusing on her studies. But that's not the kind of person she WANTS to be, only the image her parents forced her to build up. She feels like she'll never have a chance to truly be herself.But what happens when a mysterious figure offers her a magic potion that promises it'll allow her to live out her secret ambitions with no consequences?Probably something to do with that human she always hangs around with...
Relationships: Amity Blight/Luz Noceda
Comments: 25
Kudos: 123





	1. Perfect Little Blight

**Author's Note:**

> FIrst work in a new fandom. Thought this wouldn't happen, but Owl House is a darn good show, and these two dorks have drawn me right in.
> 
> So, I figured I'd write a lil' somthin for it. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy. All feedback is appreciated.

_"There goes Little Miss Perfect, off to probably her third extra credit class today."_

_"Someone aughta shake that stick up her-"_

_"-Language!"_

_"I hear the only people she's relaxed around is that human and her friends."_

_"Are you kidding me? Have you seen the way she tenses up around Luz?"_

Amity has heard it all before. The gossip, the hushed whispers, nicknames ranging from teasing to spiteful. Oh, she's heard everything there is to hear about how "stuck up" she is.

The youngest Blight was walking down her usual route of hallways in Hexside on a monotonous Monday morning, passing by all sorts of students ranging from normal to demonic. A good majority of kids ignored her, some even raised a hand to greet her or shot off a friendly smile.

But others, others poked fun and spoke ill of her behind her back.

And the worse part, for the young witch that is, was that she couldn't dispute anything they said.

It was true, she was extremely uptight when it came to her social life. It was hard for her to find time for herself or any of her friends, what with her absurd amount of homework, extra curricular studying, volunteer work at various places, and anything either her parents or her siblings roped her into. Of course, she'd get to go to the occasional event, such as the Midnight Conjuring every year, and there was always the "friends" her parents picked out for her to give her a bit of social interaction…

But even those people tended to whisper behind her back. Especially after she started hanging out with Luz and Co.

Luz was one of the few people Amity felt like more herself when she was around. A bubbly, outgoing human with an _interesting_ sense of humor, to say the least. Couple that with a bookish nerd, Gus, and an old friend of her own, Willow, and it felt closer to true friendship than Amity ever had with people like Boscha.

Speaking of Luz…

Amity rounded another corner of the school building, leaving behind the murmuring and snickers. She did have an extra credit class next period, but it wasn't for another few minutes. Plenty of time to catch up with-

"Luz!" Amity called out, waving to the human when she finally had her in sight. The hispanic girl was close by to her locker, talking to both Willow and Gus. However, as soon as she heard Amity's voice, Luz spun around with a large smile on her face.

"Amity, finally!" She rushed over to hug her friend, causing a dark blush to appear on the pale witch's cheeks. "We were waiting on ya to finish up so we could talk about the _fiesta!"_

"I'm sorry, huh?" Amity was confused as to whatever word Luz had just said. It was in that human language she had told her about. Spinach, right?

"Your brother and sister invited us to this big party down by Ribs Plaza in Bonesborough," Gus informed as Amity and Luz returned to the locker.

"It'd be cool for all of us to go! Willow and Gus might have to leave a little early to avoid trouble, but Eda's letting me stay for the whole thing! Soooo, I was wondering if you wanted to come with? Edric and Emira will be there, so maybe your parents will let you go!" Luz asked excitedly.

"That sounds…"

_‘Wonderful? Great? Exciting?’_ Words flashed within Amity's head in an attempt to finish that sentence. A way to hang out with Luz was excellent under any pretense, even if she was dreading the potential teasing she'd get from her siblings. She wanted to just say 'yes' in that moment, that 'of course she'd come with, she'd be stupid not to'. Even if Luz hadn't been attending, she still would've wanted to go, if only to get away from the constant barrage of stress in her everyday life.

"... Complicated."

But of course she couldn't.

She was Amity Blight, and there was just too much on her plate to blow off.

"I'm sorry, Luz, but I can't go tonight. I have a test tomorrow I need to study for, I have a ton of extra credit work to turn in, plus I have to practice a speech for the opening day of a new learning center my parents are opening up. They wanted me to speak at it, of all things."

The human's face fell more and more as Amity listed all of the assignments and chores she needed to complete, though not into disappointment, but rather worry.

"Jeez, Amity, that's way too much for one person to do! How do you even find time for yourself after class?"

"I rarely do."

It was said so nonchalant, like it was just a fact of life. Amity never gave it much thought how most of her life was spent doing something menial, taxing, or related to school.

But seeing Luz and her friends' faces in reaction to that little phrase really made her shrink in on herself, somehow feeling ashamed about something she couldn't control. She should be more in control of that little aspect of her life, but her parents, this school, and all her responsibilities already wrenched that from her.

"Amity, you-" Willow tried to say something to break that uncomfortable silence, as clearly _something_ was going on in Luz's head that was stopping her from speaking, but Amity was already leaving away from the group.

"I-I'm sorry, I have to, um… get to my other class. Yeah, that's it. We can talk later, I'm sorry." Amity lied like it was her first time doing it, barreling away with a blush not from embarrassment, but from shame. Luz finally clicked back into reality and tried to call after her friend, but Amity was already in a different hallway.

The pale witch swore she could still hear those murmurs behind her back.

_"There goes Little Miss Perfect, blowing off her friends in favor of schoolwork."_

She wished she could argue against that.


	2. Potion Comotion

"Stupid parents… stupid homework… stupid, stupid brain, forcing me to pick those two over _Luz,_ of all things…"

Amity grumbled angrily as she walked down the busy streets of Bonesborough, kicking rocks and pebbles, trying to release the anger she felt which, in all honesty, would've probably needed her to kick a bolder in order to feel satisfied.

"I just want a few minutes to myself a day, isn't that enough? Let alone a party, I haven't been to a real party in… I-I don't think I've even ever been to one! This is just…. AUGH!"

She practically growled as she tried to clear her head, spending as much time as possible avoiding her home in favor of the open air of the town. This was the final straw, the one that broke her Goodie Two-shoes facade she wore for everyone she interacted with. She _wanted_ to relax for a moment, she _wanted_ to be herself, if just for a night.

The Blight girl turned a corner on the busy streets, somehow leaving behind the hussle and bussle and getting unknowingly lost in the process. But Amity could care less, she was too busy chastising her brain at that moment.

"I don't wanna stop being a good student, far from it. It's good to stay in school, get a good education, join a coven, sta-" Amity realized she had begun to subconsciously quote the same phrase her parents constantly told her. She wailed in anger again, " _But I don't wanna just be that!_ I wanna be Amity, not just Ms. Blight. I wanna have time for myself _and_ my responsibilities."

She sighed, holding her school books she had brought tighter to her chest.

"If only there was a way to just… get away from that stupid name. Be somebody else, be myself, just for a night or two. That’d be the dream.”

_“Perhaps the dream could be made a reality?”_

Amity quickly spun around, only then realizing that she was officially in the more shady sections of Bonesborough, more specifically in a back alley that no one could technically see her in. She started to panic, as she saw a tall, cloaked man with pale, greenish skin approach her. His face was completely obscured by his cloak, save for a chilling smile.

“Who are you? Why are you cornering me?” Amity said, not letting fear tint her voice. She wasn’t defenseless, far from it, so she knew if this man was looking to cause trouble he wouldn’t get very far.

“Now now, I mean no harm. I’m a simple servant, part of a small organization that seeks to help witches in need.” The man smiled, holding up his hands defenselessly. “And I do believe I have just the thing to help _you,_ Amity Blight.”  
  
“How do you know my name?” Her finger was just itching to cast an abomination to end this foolishness.

“You’re-” The man’s smile fell. “You’re kidding right?”  
  
“No.”  
  
“You’re a part of the Blight family, richest of all the Boiling Isles, probably just as famous as the Emperor himself, and you’re surprised someone recognized you in public?”

“I- Okay, when you put it like that it does sound like kind of a stupid question…”

The man sighed, bringing his hand to his forehead in disappointment. “Okay, you know what, the whole ‘mysterious, but interesting’ shtick clearly is confusing you. Let me get to the point, My name is, well, you can call me Jekyll. I’m a part of a beneficial organization, looking to help out witches in desperate need-”  
  
“-In exchange for a payment, right?” Even if the robed figure wasn’t as creepy as she first thought, she was still skeptical of his intentions.  
  
“Nope, we’re entirely philanthropic. All we’re interested in is helping others achieve their goals who currently don’t have the means to do so. Of course, we get the odd donation here and there from grateful clients, but w-”  
  
“Okay, I see where this is going. Listen, I don’t need some low-life scammer to tell me what I do and don’t need. Like you said, I’m a Blight, if I want something, I can buy it. Now if you’ll excuse me…” Amity pushed past this “Jekyll” character to try and get out of the alley, but the man grabbed her arm, causing her to spin around and start forming a spell.

“Wait wait, let me show you I’m trying to help! What I have here is something you can’t buy! It’s very old magic, very old, and I’m one of the few people who knows of it!” Jekyll reached into his cloak, causing Amity to tense up even more, but after slowing down his movements to calm her, he was allowed to pull out a small cluster of pink potions, tied together by a rope.

“I call these Inhibition potions. Just drink one, whatever time of day, and the effects will allow you to live out your true ambitions with no consequences. And when you’re done, just drink one of these antidotes-” He pulled out another cluster of potions, these ones yellow, “-And you’ll go back to normal. No harmful side effects, and it’s relatively painless!”

Amity eyed the concoctions suspiciously. “And I should trust these, why?”  
  
“You don’t have to, if you’re uncomfortable. Just dump ‘em in the trash if you don’t want to, I can make batches in, like, an hour. But I really do think you’ll benefit from these. And to show I’m not looking for an extra reward, I promise you’ll never see me again. It’ll be like I never existed.”  
  
Amity clutched her fingers in hesitation, not knowing if she really should trust this complete stranger. But, the worst that could happen was either the potion shuffled the functions of every hole in her face or kill her dead, and either or could be remedied. Well, the killing side effect might be a bit harder to fix, but she could always test it before she drank it.  
  
The witch made a decision, grabbing the potions from Jekyll. “I’ll consider it.” She inspected the potions for any cracks or damage. “Now can I get going?”

It seemed the cloaked figure had made good on his promise, as in the few seconds Amity looked away, Jekyll had disappeared.

“Pfft, weirdo.” Amity held the potion up to her face, considering how to sneak them into her home. Casting a spell, she caused her abomination to rise from the ground.

“Abomination, hide these. And hold my books.” She handed all her items to the creature, who followed the order to the tee.

She turned, exited the alleyway, and finally made her way to the Blight Manor. She put off her responsibilities for too long now.

~0~

“Last call, mittens!” Edric called from the doorway.

“You sure you wanna keep hitting the books, or do you wanna have a little fun for a change?” Emira continued, poking her head underneath her brother’s arm.

Amity had been studying magical history for about an hour now, her eyes aching from reading whilst her body begged to just stretch for a moment. She had been studying nonstop for hours before that too, yet she felt as if she was nowhere near finishing what her parent’s demanded from her. She looked up from her desk where she was reading and turned her body to face the entrance to her room.  
  
“You guys _know_ what I’m going to pick, why do you keep bothering me when you already know the answer?” She asked, annoyed at the interruption.

“Cause we’re hoping for a change, mittens! C’mon, it’s one little party. We’ll go for a few minutes, hang out with everyone, maybe even play a party favor or two. It’ll be fun!” Edric said, stepping inside and sitting down on his little sister’s bed.

“Plus, your favorite human is gonna be there, and we both know how much you love to hang out with her~” Emira teased, leaning against the door frame.

That last comment made Amity blush from ends to ears, making her cough and shake her head. “T-That’s not true! I mean, I do like hanging ou- I mean, gah, stop talking!” She couldn’t tell if that comment was meant towards her siblings or herself.  
  
“It’ll be fine, Mom and Dad won’t even notice. We’ll have you in and out before you can even say-”

“-That’s not going to work.”  
  
“See, you get the idea!”

“No, I’m being serious, Edric.” Amity got up from her desk and stretched her back, making a satisfying crack. She approached her brother with a neutral expression. “Even if we manage the impossible task of sneaking past our parents, somebody is going to see me at that party, word will travel around, and Mom and Dad will find out how I blew my studies off for a little get together with friends.”  
  
She let out a disappointed sigh. “They’re not as strict on you guys, but I’m supposed to be their model child, the one they can shape into whoever they want to be. I’m supposed to have the friends _they_ want me to have, study the things _they_ want me to study, be the person _they_ want me to be. I-”

Amity hadn’t realized how worked up she was getting until both her brother and sister had pulled her into a hug. “Hey hey, it’s okay. We understand, Mittens.” Edric said.

“We’ll let you be, we’re sorry for pushing.” Emira replied.

Amity leaned into the hug for a moment, letting herself be calmed by the embrace before that parent-instilled sense of pride made her pull away. “Thank you. Just… have fun for me while you’re there, okay?”

“Trust us, we’ll have all our fun and then some, in your memory.”

“I’ll say hi to Luz for you, okay?”

The youngest Blight nodded in appreciation before waving goodbye as the twins left the room. She walked over to her window and watched them walk off towards the city center. It was already beginning to darken, and Amity felt the exhaustion weighing down on her. She looked back towards her desk, her book still laying open to the next lesson, whilst her own words resonated in her head.

‘ _Be the person they want me to be… But what about who_ ** _I_** _want to be? Is there really no hope for me?’_

Her eyes drifted away from the books, and to a small stack of potions in the corner.

_‘No, I can’t. I haven’t tested them, I don’t even know what they even do. Just drinking those with no prior knowledge couldn’t possibly be healthy.’_

It was at that moment that her scroll buzzed to life. She summoned it to her hand, noticing a new message from…

Who else, but Luz.

**_Wish you were here. Next time, we’ll find a way to meet up at a party. Promise._ **

_‘Okay, we’re trying that potion.’_

Amity rushed over immediately, grabbing a vial of pink liquid, the contents sloshing around in the glass. Was she really about to ingest a random liquid she got from some hobo on the street, all for the opportunity to hang out with her favorite human?

_‘Favorite human…’_

Yep, that seemed to be what she was about to do.

She uncapped the potion, took in a deep breath, and plugged her nose before downing the entire bottle in one go. It didn’t have that bad of a taste, like she feared, and in fact seemed quite delectable. Amity set the potion bottle down on her desk while wiping her mouth.

“Okay, okay, deep breaths. It wasn’t that bad going down, nothing… awful so far.” Amity tapped her hands along her legs, feeling quite bubbly on the inside.  
  
“Maybe it was just some kind of confidence booster? Not really helpful… I just feel really warm inside.”  
  
Then, she felt something deep inside her.

And it did _not_ feel pleasant.

“ARGH!” She screamed, collapsing to the floor and clutching her stomach. “W-What’s happening?! My body, i-it feels… it feels like it’s on fire!”  
  
Her bones felt like they were squirming beneath her body, and her head was pounding from the inside. She was crumbling onto her carpeted floor, trying to figure out what was happening to her. Maybe it really _was_ shuffling the functions of every hole in her face! She tried to get back up, but she felt the involuntary need to squeeze her eyes tight.  
  
But when she opened them, their color was completely different. Gone was the warmer bronze color, replaced with a bright green.

And then, her entire body was encompassed in a bright light.


	3. Hyde and Seek

_“Ugh… my head…”_

Amity roused herself from the floor, struggling to refocus on the world. Her body was starting to subside in its pain, but the residual agony was still preset in her form. She finally pulled herself to her feet, taken aback at how much _smaller_ everything seemed now.

“O-Okay, let’s take stock, make sure everything’s still here. I-”  
  
Wait, that… _wasn’t her voice._

“W-What’s going on?” Amity asked out loud, grabbing at her throat as if that would magically make her voice return to normal.

_‘Mirror, I need a mirror!’_ She thought, knowing that there was something very much wrong. She rushed to her bathroom, flicking the light on in desperation.

  
What she saw almost made her faint.

Her body had completely transformed. She was significantly taller, almost three inches of height gained. Her green hair wasn’t neatly ordered into a small, pulled back ponytail, but it was now a _mess_ of brown, wild fluff above her head, seeming more like a bush had grown on top of her scalp. Her eyes even changed, now bright green and almost glowing.

She was unrecognizable as Amity, she looked like someone completely new.

“What in Titan’s name…” She murmured, bringing her face closer to inspect the changes. Her voice was a tad higher pitched now, a bit more energy in the inflections. She turned her face from side to side, far more interested than panicked, for some reason.

“So… That’s all it did? Change me into somebody else? I mean, it’s impressive, I guess, and awfully painful at that, but it’s nothing I haven’t seen before. A simple illusion spell, even a transformation potion, could achieve the same effect. I suppose I feel a bit more confident…”

She was trying to figure out whatever Jekyll intended for the outcome of that potion. A new face, a bit more confidence in her soul, that was all well and good, but how did that help her find more time for herself?  
  
For… Herself…

But, she _wasn’t_ herself right now, was she?

She was a completely different person, someone that might not even exist outside of her right now. She had been temporarily unshackled from the responsibilities of being Amity, and she was technically free to do whatever she liked.

“I’m someone new… Which means ‘Amity’ can stay at home doing studying or whatever… And I can finally get out of the house and be social for once!” Amity cheered within the bathroom, finally understanding the point of the potion.

She rushed out of the bathroom and towards her bedroom, bursting open her windows and taking in a breath of fresh air, as if it was the first real breath she had ever taken. From that view, she caught a glimpse of a shower of lights emanating from Bonesborough, specifically Ribs Plaza.

“The party…” She murmured, starting to smile. “I can finally go to the party!”

She turned away from her window, running to her closet to pull out something far more comfortable than the school uniform that, in all honesty, wasn’t fitting all too well anymore. Finding a casual outfit that was the best fitting thing she had, she donned her clothes and slipped her shoes on. She threw a pillow under her covers and positioned it to where it looked like she was sleeping in her bed, turning out her lights to complete the look.

Knowing there might be a chance someone might see a random stranger leaving the Blight Manor through the front door in the dead of night and _might_ think it a bit suspicious, Amity crawled out onto the roof of her room via the window, and crawled down the scaffolding on the side of her house.

Once her feet were once again on firm ground, she took in another deep breath of freedom. Her body felt so much more lively now, she suspected it was the work of the potion, and every step she took away from her prison of a home increased in speed, until she was sprinting towards the city center and towards her true friends.

"Don't worry, Luz! I'm on my way!" She shouted in joy.

~0~

_'Wow, I must've ran a couple miles there, and I feel like I could run a hundred more!'_ Amity was panting slightly, but didn't feel tired as she finally approached the plaza where the party was being held. It was a medium sized, rounded dead end, slightly separated from the rest of the town and overlooking a cliff. She was hidden slightly behind a building right before the plaza, and could see that there were quite a bit of people gathered around. She never found out what the party was celebrating, but from the nonspecific decorations and hanging lights, she could infer that it was just a simple way to have fun.

_‘Man, maybe there was more to that potion than just a simple aesthetic change.’_ Amity caught her breath in a matter of seconds, even though she just ran two miles in a superhuman amount of time. She collected herself for a moment, then walked forward towards the party.

People were already dancing by the time Amity had arrived, jamming away to more upbeat music. There were a few tables filled with drinks and snacks, from what the Blight could see, and there were even a few party games in one of the corners, with people crowded around and cheering at their participants.

Amity reached the entrance of the party, going unnoticed by most of the other attendees. She giggled slightly to herself, wondering what to throw herself into first. No hint of fear from embarrassment, or nervousness in the face of a large crowd of her peers, all she felt was giddiness.

Unfortunately, this did not translate into spatial awareness, as while she was wandering through the social event she accidentally bumped into somebody.

“Oh, oops!” Amity quickly said in apology, holding her hands up. The person she had bumped into stumbled for a moment before rebalancing herself and turning to face her.

“Oh, it’s fine! I bump into people all the time!” _Luz_ was the person who faced her now, causing Amity to break into a smile at the sight.

“Oh, hey Lu-” The witch caught herself before she could continue. She couldn’t let anyone know her true identity, even someone as important to her as Luz, lest it spread and managed to get back to her parents.   
  
“I mean… Looky who we have here. The human I’ve heard so much about.” Amity corrected, placing her hands on her hips.

“I’m sorry, I’m usually pretty good with faces, but do I know you?” The human cocked an eye up, downing a little bit of the drink she had in her hand.

“Probably not. I’m new in town, just moved from the outer isles to the Bonesborough. But, your reputation as the only Human on the Boiling Isles precedes you. Though, people tend to leave out your name when they talk about you.” Amity felt like this lying came naturally to her, not hesitating for a second while each part of her deception came to her.

“Oh! Well, then let me be the first to tell you. My name’s Luz, Luz Noceda. What about you?”

“Me?”

_‘Think Amity. Something cool sounding, like Azura’s name. But, make sure to keep it away from mine..’_

“Azi. Azi Hyde.”

_‘Nailed that.’_

“Ooo, Azi. Kinda rhymes with Snazzy, which is exactly what your name is. Well, it’s nice to meet you, Azi! Always happy to get to know new people.”  
  
“Same to you. Although, I expected way more people surrounding such a famous person as yourself. Where’s you flock of friends and fans?”

Luz laughed at that comment. “Oh, you got a bit to learn about me, Azi. I don’t have ‘adoring fans’ like you may have heard, just a few good friends that have my back. Most of them had to go home early, though, and the other are off with other people.”

_‘Me… and Luz… just us, together. I have never been more thankful for a moment in my life than this moment right now.’_

“Aw, spending a party alone is no way to spend a party! What say I be your friend for the night, and we have a bit of fun! After all, this is my very first time hanging out with other people in Bonesborough, and what better person to hang with than the coolest one this side of town.

Amity could’ve sworn she almost saw a light _blush_ dust Luz’s cheeks after that. “O-Oh, you’re too nice.” She sputtered out, quickly chugging the rest of her drink in an instant. “And, sure! Sounds like a great time!”

“Awesome, cause I’ve been dying to hit the dance floor the moment I saw this place!” With that, Amity grabbed Luz’s hand and dragged her off to where the other people were grooving the night away.

~0~

If Amity had to define 'Perfect' with only two words, she'd have to go with 'This Night'.

Because it had been nothing short of bliss for the young witch. She broke out all the moves with Luz when they had gone out to dance, recalling all of the muscle memory and practice she could from her nights of preparing for Grom. Luz laughed a loud, boisterous thing whilst Amity stuck to little giggles that slipped out on their own. They didn't steal the show or anything extreme like that; In fact, they blended right in with the rest of the teens partying on that night.

Blended in. Amity was letting loose, and was more than happy that she fit right in with the rest of the crowd.

After they tuckered themselves out with their musical movements, the two ran to some of the party games that had been set up. Spin the Femur, a dart board with anatomically correct face, and all sorts of strange diversions were met with enthusiasm by the two girls. At one point, Amity even got into a magical competition with another girl on who could create the biggest abomination. Amity won, of course, creating the biggest one she had ever done before, completely dwarfing her competitions.

And after that, the girls took a break.

After all, Amity still had her limits, even under her increased energy as Azi.

" _Eso fue la cosa mas divertida que he hecho en mi vida!"_ Luz cheered, leaning against a wall whilst drinking a cup of Apple Blood.

Amity giggled, giving a confused smile to her friend. "I'm sorry, huh? You lost me."

"Oh, right. That's a human language, Spanish!" Luz explained, “I'm just saying, this has been the most fun party I've ever been to in my life! Hanging out with you has been a blast!"

Amity gave a look of comprehension. "Oh! Then I agree, this has been the best. Not bad in terms of a welcome to Bonesborough."

"I'm really glad I got to meet you tonight, Azi. You're an amazing person to have fun with."

_'If I were to spontaneously die tonight, I'm sure I'd die with no regrets.'_

Amity thought she was going to spontaneously erupt into embarrassing redness whilst sputtering like an idiot in that moment, but instead she blew off the comment with a wave of her hand and a lighthearted chuckle. “Oh, you flatter me, c’mon now. Besides, you were just as much fun to party with. I wouldn’t mind doing something like this again.”

“Oh, for sure! Are you going to be attending Hexside since, you know, you'll be moving here?"

"Ooo, sorry, enrolling in Glandus High. Parent's choice."

"Nooooo! Now I _have_ to hate you!"

The two girls laughed at the little joke, Luz spilling a bit of her drink on the ground.

"Ah, but we don't have to let that stop us. You know, me being new, and you being human, we should probably take a few moments to get to know this place better. What say you and I, tomorrow night, 8pm, go around town and do a little bit of exploring, huh?"

_'whatamIdoingwhatamIdoingwhatamIdoingwhatamIdoin-'_ Amity panicked within her own mind, wondering what was possessing her to ask out Luz to what was essentially a date, but she didn't let it show on her face.

"You know what…. That sounds like fun! I'd love to hang out with you more often." Luz agreed, finishing off the last of her drink afterwards.

*Then that's that. I'll meet you, say… well, just back here, I suppose."

"Works fine for me!"

_'It's… just that easy, huh? Really?'_

Amity looked up at the sky, just realizing how late it had become. The full moon was almost right above her, shining natural light directly down onto the party whilst making a few glasses and other objects sparkle in its glow. It was somewhat enchanting, if not a little spoiled by the rowdiness of the teens, now all a little amped up whether from the food and drinks or dopamine in their heads.  
  
‘ _Oh crud. Mom and Dad might get back late from work, but they still get_ ** _back_** _. If they find I’m not in my room, this whole potion debacle will be for nothing.’_

“Dang… I didn’t realize how late it was. I gotta get back soon, my parents might be a _teeny_ bit mad if they found out I snuck out.” Amity explained, backing up a bit whilst rubbing the back of her head.

Luz gasped dramatically. “You’re going to a forbidden party? _How Scandalous.”_ She teased in a posh voice.

“Yeah, I’m a regular criminal mastermind after tonight. In all seriousness, I gotta head out. But, I’ll see you back here tomorrow, for sure. Catch you later… cutie.” With that, “Azi” disappeared into the darkness of the nearby forest, leaving Luz red in the face and her cup slipping out of her hands.

Once she was, for sure, out of earshot of the party, Amity let out the loudest cheer of celebration she had ever made in her life.


	4. Bonesborough by Moonlight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for a bit of a wait on this one! Had to get a few details right.

Amity groaned in pain as her eyes fluttered open, her entire body aching as if she'd been thrown into a wall. Her eyes, burning from exhaustion as they were, desperately tried to refocus and scan their surroundings.

The young witch was currently sitting on the cold, wooden floor of her room, her back leaning up against one of its walls. Her bedcovers weren't even touched, implying Amity had slept all night propped on the uncomfortable floor. Her head moved down to her body to find that she was wearing some sort of strange casual wear, and an empty, slim potion bottle was resting in her palm, a tiny droplet of yellow liquid still on the rim.

"A… potion?" She murmured, bringing the bottle up to her face to inspect it.

All of a sudden, the memories dogpiled onto her already battered brain.

The Inhibition Potion, Azi Hyde, the Party, _Luz and everything she said to her,_ she suddenly recalled it all. She stood up, grunting briefly at the stinging of pain in her legs, before smiling to herself.

"It worked…" She whispered, holding the bottle closer to her chest. "It actually worked!"

 _"Amity, Dear?"_ A voice called out from behind the witch's door, followed by a few knocks

Amity flinched, hard, turning her head and calling out in response. "Yes, mother?" She said in a voice uncharacteristically timid for her. She quickly hid the potion bottle behind her back, even if the door didn't actually open.

 _"Oh, good, you're up. I was worried you weren't getting ready for school this morning. Chop chop now, you should be leaving in a few minutes."_ The sound of footsteps on the hardwood floor echoed as the voice disappeared down the hall.

Amity sighed in relief, realizing something far more important. _'She didn't bring up the party or me sneaking out, and she didn't sound angry either. I really did sneak past her. These potions really do work!_ ' She thought to herself.

With a small noise of glee, Amity quickly rushed over to the corner where the potions and the other empty bottle lay. She picked them up and stuffed them underneath her bed, using some of the other objects next to them to hide the concoctions from view.

She sighed in relief, proud of her cunning and being able to pull the wool over her parents, of all people.

"Wait… didn't mother just say I had to leave in a few minutes?" Her gaze snapped over to the clock in her room in a panic.

She had three minutes to get ready for school.

~0~

Amity tugged at one of her shoes, hopping on one foot to try and fix the uncomfortable position her boots were currently in, before giving up and starting back up on her race to get to the Hexside campus on time.

She had practically thrown on her school uniform in the morning, holding a hair tie in her mouth and her books under her arm whilst she rushed out of the front door, hoping she could at least make herself look presentable while she made a mad dash to the school. She had never been late to her classes a day in her life, and she wasn't about to start now.

She was racing by red-leaved trees, catching glimpses of the large building in the distance whilst she ran against the paved path. When she was finally close to the front door of Hexside, she observed in a panic that there were no students loitering nearby the entrance, signifying that the first bell had already rung and she was on borrowed time. She rushed through emptying hallways, following the familiar path to her first class of the day and winding up at the familiar door. She was almost there, almost…

**_RING!_ **

"Ah, Ms. Blight. I was worried you weren't going to make it on time!"

Her Abominations teacher greeted her with a simple tease, but that phrase was music to Amity's ears. She stood in the doorway of the classroom with the doorknob still in her hands. Panting and out of breath, she nodded curtly to the professor before walking over to her seat near the back of the class.

The rest of the day wasn't so lucky.

Throughout the day, Amity was absolutely exhausted, barely able to keep her eyes open, much less pay attention to what any of her teachers were saying. Her head constantly nodded downwards whenever she'd lose just the tiniest bit of focus, causing her to jerk upwards comedically.

It felt like she had been awake the entire night.

She shuffled out of her third class of the day, already hearing the whispers about her behind her back. At least this time they were talking about a different aspect of her, not just the know-it-all part. "Silver lining…" she muttered, yawning again.

Her next class was… extra credit? Abominations again? Her mind was still struggling through whatever it had picked up in the first class of the day to even begin to think about what came next.

She was so turned around from exhaustion that she barely noticed the human directly in her path. She zoned back in at just the last second, stopping her feet from running into her.

However, Luz had heard the feet walking right behind her, and turned around from her conversation with Gus and Willow to find Amity behind her.

"Amity, how's it… woah, you don't look too good there." She asked, immediately taking notice of her friend's condition.

Amity waved her off with a smile. "Oh, I'm fine. Just, you know, missed a few hours of sleep last night. You know, hitting the ol' books, studying for, you know, those exams. You know."

Wow.

She had never heard herself, let alone anyone, lie as bad as she just did right then.

_'Just when I actually NEED the confidence I had last night…'_

Luz, however, simply tutted in disapproval. "Amity, sleep is important. I know you always liked to be prepared, but you need to take care of yourself too. Please get some more sleep tonight, for my sake?"

The human had looked at Amity with such care and worry that she effectively locked up, her face tinting pink as she simply nodded.

"Great! Anyways, I'm glad you're here. I was just telling Gus and Willow about something _spectacular_ that happened last night!" She exclaimed, waving her hands dramatically to emphasize her point.

"O-Oh?"

"I met somebody new, somebody super cool, at the party last night!"

It took everything within Amity to not just scream out _'YESTHATWASMEI'MCOOLSTILLRIGHT?!'_ She was, honestly, quite proud of her self restraint.

"Oh, really. Um, what was her name, pray tell?"

_'Pray tell? What are you, mother?'_

"Azi Hyde, and let me tell you, she was a character! So full of energy, I almost couldn’t keep up.” She smirked cheekily to all of her friends. _“Almost.”_

“Wow, sounds like… um, she sounds like just a ball of energy, huh?” Amity mentioned, casually twirling her hair around a finger, if ‘casually’ meant ‘noticeably tense’.

"Oh yeah. We did everything we could've done at that party, some things twice over. Honestly, it was kind of like looking into a mirror. Anyways, I'm meeting her tonight, actually, out in Bonesborough to do a little urban exploration. Aaaand that leads me to my next question: you guys wanna come with? I'm sure Azi would love to meet you guys!"

Amity froze up, almost pulling a chunk of her hair out while pulling her arms to her sides stiffly. She hadn't accounted for the chance of other people showing. A selfish part of her didn't _want_ other people showing it. That wasn't her preoccupation at the time, though. She was more worried about whether or not Gus and Willow, if they did tag along, would be able to see straight through her façade. That was waaaay worse to Amity than having a small meet-up slightly spoiled.

"Oooh, sorry Luz. I have a presentation I have to whip up for the Human Appreciation Society. I was actually gonna ask _you_ to come over tonight, but I can work on other things until you’re free again.” Gus replied, wringing his hands somewhat abashedly.  
  
“And my parents probably won’t like me making a habit out of going to late night romps in the city.” Willow brought up, cutting down the possibility of her showing up.

"Aw, darn. I'm sure Azi would've loved to meet you guys," Luz was reluctant to leave the question there, but she turned to Amity anyways, "Amity, I know you're probably gonna be busy later on tonight, but do you think there's any chance you'd be able to get out tonight?"

“Uh…. no. Nope, sorry, like you said, lots to do. Tonight, yes, on this night of, uh… today.”  
  
Despite the absolute baffling quality of word that came out of her mouth indicating otherwise, that wasn’t entirely a lie. In order to actually keep up this little fib, Amity had planned to work herself into overtime after school so none of her grades would suffer. She would essentially be cramming eight hours worth of study into four. Not exactly favorable, but a necessary evil.

"Yeah, kinda figured. But, I still wanted to make sure you knew you had the option," Luz said with a smile, "And hey, maybe for the best. I dunno how Azi might've reacted to me inviting you guys, now that I think about it."

Suddenly, interrupting everyone's thoughts, a loud screech rang out through the halls, emanating from the many monstrous bells attached to the walls.

"Oh, that's my next class calling." Gus said

"Mine too. See you guys later!" Willow added, leaving the lockers with her friend and disappearing behind a corner Luz and Amity were both left alone by their hangout spot, both standing awkwardly in silence for a reason they couldn't place.

"Yeah, better, um…. Better get to my class too. I'll see you later, tell me all about how this, um… get-together thingy goes. You know, when you can," Amity rambled, stepping backwards as she moved away from the human.

Luz looked like she was puzzling a deep philosophical question within her head with that look of internal debate on her face. Amity turned to leave, but she heard rapid footsteps approach her before a hand landed on her shoulder, stopping her from leaving.

"Wait, wait. I, um… Listen, I know you're busy with homework and studying and everything, but I wanted to ask you if you'd be okay with me coming over today and, well, studying together. I feel really bad for not hanging out with you as often, I wanna make it up. It'll just be a little bit before I leave to catch up with Azi, if you're worried about time." The human looked almost just as nervous as Amity had been, looking straight into her friend's eyes to try and calm herself.

Amity was a whole other storm.

She was touched at the heartfelt statement, maybe more so than usual. It was such a simple offer, but with it coming from such a place of caring, from _Luz_ no less, was doing all sorts of things to her heart. The witch wanted to desperately accept, she knew she could find a way to convince her parents to let the girl into their home, and if worse came to worse, she could get Emira and Edric to help sneak her in.

But, then a thought overcame her.

**_'You already have plans with her. Different plans. Do you really wanna force her to stay stuck inside a stuffy room looking at books the whole time, when you could both be doing something fun? Besides, you'll be too busy with your homework to actually do something fun together. Don't do that to her.'_ **

"Sorry, Luz… I'll be too busy to actually do anything. It won't be worth the trouble. Maybe another time…" She quickly pulled herself away from Luz's grasp and practically dashed towards her next class, leaving Luz alone in the middle of the hall.

~0~

_'Am I a bad friend for doing this?'_

Luz fiddled with her hoodie string, waiting by the place Azi had said to meet her at. She sat atop a small wall surrounding the dead end, which had been thankfully cleaned after the party, and looked around every now and then to see if she could catch her friend approaching. The sun was at its last vestiges of light, barely visible above the horizon, and the moon was starting to appear from behind the clouds.

She knew why she was so on point with locating Azi, though. It was a distraction.

_'I didn't want to leave Amity alone in her room for what seems like the fifth time in a row. I feel awful, I should try and make more time for her… But, she's always so insistent on being alone for her studies. I can understand, yeah, but I feel like there was something else going on today. Should… Should I have pressed forward. Am I a bad friend?'_

Those thoughts made the poor human's stomach squirm with guilt. She was so seriously considering canceling the outing tonight, but that made her feel somehow worse.

_'Azi came all this way, it would be really horrible to cancel on her right at the last second. That'd make me feel even worse than before. I'll just try and enjoy tonight, then ask Amity what's up the next day.'_

Luz pulled out her phone from her pocket, checking the time to make sure her friend wasn’t running late (Because there was no chance she was buying one of the ‘watches’ like Gus had). It was 8 pm on the dot, and yet Azi Hyde was… well, hidden from sight.  
  
“She’s probably just running late-”

“Or just running in general.”  
  


Luz quickly turned to her left to see the wild-haired girl jog up to where she was seated, sporting a cocky smile and an outfit similar to the one she first appeared in. She stood in front of the human, slightly looming over her.

"Ready to go?" Azi asked, holding a hand out.

Luz took it and pulled herself to her feet. "Yeppers! Any particular place we're heading to, tonight?"

"I kinda got a point we should make our way to, but let's just go with the flow, see where the city takes us." The two started walking towards the center of Bonesborough, leaving the smaller homes on the outskirts behind for the bigger buildings downtown.

"I rarely get to see this place at night, usually I'm dealing with some sort of Monster of the Week or studying glyphs, cooped up in the Owl House. This is pretty exciting!" Luz commented, taking in the sights while walking side by side with Hyde.

"I will admit, this place is pretty stunning at night. We don't have anything like this back where I come from. My hometown was kinda on the small side." Azi strolled nonchalantly across the sidewalk path, nary a care in the world visible on her.

The city around them was in a small grace period between the normal hussle and bussle transitioning into the more mysterious nightlife, and Luz watched with slight awe as citizens different than she had seen before filled the streets, going about their nightly activities.

Her little sightseeing moment was interrupted by a sharp inhale from her companion, and Luz watched as Azi took a deep breath and exhaled.

"Man, do you smell that air? Fresher than any I've ever breathed." She commented, smiling somewhat… cheekily at Luz.

Luz nodded and took a deep breath in herself, expecting to be met with that same sweet scent herself. Instead, she was disgustingly surprised when something horrible entered her nostrils instead.

"Ahk, AUGH, what was that?" She exclaimed, rubbing at her nose with her sleeve.

Azi broke into a high pitched snicker at that, stopping for a moment while Luz remedied herself. "Sorry, Sorry, I just saw this huge trash dumpster up ahead and I… I just had to go for it, I'm sorry." She said through her laughter, snorting slightly at every other word.

Luz glared slightly, trying to keep her anger up at having been pranked, but soon her own smile broke out and the tension dissipated, and soon both the girls were in giggles. “Okay, okay, that was well timed, I’ll admit. I’ll be getting you back, though, now that you’ve set the standard.”  
  
“I’ll be waiting for that. Now, c’mon, I think I saw something interesting on my way to meet up with you.” Azi grabbed Luz by the wrist and raced ahead down the streets, weaving in and out of the citizens making their way through the city. Luz managed to keep up with her companion, but only barely, as it was if the other girl never got tired, no matter how much she ran. By the time they had made it to where Azi was dragging them, the human girl felt a bit out of breath, a rarity for her.

“Wow… You sure know how to… book it across town… You’d sure give Eda a run for her money.” Luz had her hands on her knees for just a moment, before pulling herself upright and taking in a deep (and thankfully, clean) breath.  
  
“I, uh, don’t know who that is, but that’s fine. I think we’re somewhere special right now.” Azi had her gaze straight ahead, barely giving Luz a cursory glance when talking to her before zoning back in on what was ahead. The other girl finally looked to what Hyde was fixated on, and gasped in response.  
  
In front of the pair, there was a huge, sprawling marketplace set up in one of the many town plazas located in Boonesborough. Tarps, stands, and booths were almost- no, they _were_ magically appearing by the owners, spells being casted to create the stations for business. Lanterns, both paper and metal, were being hung around the market, all of varying colors and brightness, making for a rainbow hue of illumination in this portion of the city.

  
“Oh wooooow, this is amazing. The Boiling Isles never ceases to amaze!” Luz exclaimed, placing her hands to her cheeks in wonder.

  
“You can say that again. This place is way bigger than the normal markets in the daytime. So many vendors too, bet they have all sorts of crazy things in here.” Azi commented, placing her hands on her hips and scouring the place.

That was true, for certain. The market that Luz accompanied Eda on occasion was nothing like this place. But, something was nagging at the back of Luz’s mind, something uneasy about this place.

“Yeah… W-Wait, hang on. I think I’ve heard of this place. Isn’t this… _The Night Market?”_ Luz whispered that last part, trying not to draw attention to the teens. Some huge sprawling bazaar such as this, set up as soon as day had faded, sparked some alarm bells in her head with the fear this may be the illegal emporium described by her mentor.

“You think a place as secretive as The Night Market would be out in the open like this? Why not just have a huge banner letting people know exactly where they are, if they’re already this exposed? Besides, I already spotted some guards walking around. I think this is just probably some sort of itinerant plaza.” Azi defended, starting to walk forward.  
  
“That’s.. a big word. And yeah, I guess you’re probably right. But, shouldn’t we be a bit careful? What if there’s some shady fellas in this place?”  
  
Azi smirked confidently, pulling Luz right up against her body and placing an arm around her shoulder.  
  
“Well, then just stick by me, and I’ll keep you safe. Knight in shining armor, right here.”  
  
Luz blushed slightly at the boldness, but smiled in appreciation. She wouldn’t lie, this _did_ make her feel safer, if not at least more confident in looking around. “O-Okay, then. Let’s look around.”

The two stepped into the carnival of vendors, walking under a canopy of tarps and blankets that overlapped each other. There were truly many different vendors, all fairly different from the brick and mortar stores or the normal stands that stood in the sun. Different smells wafted into the human’s face, a mixture of potion ingredients, foodstuffs being cooked in the open, and a fair share of animal scents from strange pets accompanying both patrons and sellers. It was something wonderful, in a strange way, to experience. Luz spotted all sorts of products she hadn’t seen before, from Caramel Cabbages (Kinda ew, kinda yum), an assortment of wands and staffs that were _clearly_ not of the highest quality, and even one guy selling an arrangement of mystical flowers, though a few bite marks and scratches on his face indicated that they may not be the friendliest of flora.

As Luz took in these sites, she noticed that Azi was distinctly… unfazed by all of these treats, an expression of slight disinterest on her face. When she realized she was being watched, however, the wild haired girl turned to look at Luz and smirked once again. Luz smiled back, but couldn’t shake that uneasy feeling, even if none of the creatures she’d seen looked hostile in the slightest.  
  
But, those thoughts left her as soon as she saw _that_ jewelry.

Luz let out a soft gasp as she pulled Azi over to the stand that caught her interest. There were dozens of different broches, necklaces, bracelets, and more on the stand, all of distinct styles and themes. There were obsidian charms in the shape of animals, turquoise armlets with other jewels and sparkling stones, and even some strange looking badges with masks and faces displayed. They were all beautiful, for certain, in their own rights.  
  
“Azi, Azi, Azi, look at those! Aren’t they beautiful? They’re so well made, too!” Luz dragged Azi over to that particular stand, though never leaving the girl’s side. As they approached, the vendor, a bipedal bird person with greenish blue plumage and a red tunic over his body, seemed to perk up and began to move some of the trinkets so they could be viewed with ease.

“Ah, I see you’ve spotted some of my wares. You’ve got a good eye, young one.” He said, a distinct accent in his voice. “These are all handcrafted from the style of my home village, far up near the skull of the Titan. Trust me, you won’t find anything like these from any other vendor.”  
  
“Wow, you’ve really got a knack for it! Oh, Azi, look at this one! _Es tan hermosa!”_ Luz held up one of the many necklaces, this one in particular an obsidian necklace with the pendant in the shape of a stylized owl.

“That one does look nice. Hmm… Hey, pal, how much for these anyway?” Azi asked, picking up a turquoise bracelet herself and eying it.

“Oh, a very fair price. 200 snails.”  
  
“WHAT?!” Both girls exclaimed, Luz quickly returning the necklace to the table while Azi unceremoniously dropped the bracelet.

“Hey Hey, careful there! Now, I understand these are quite pricey, but I assure you these are reasonably priced for everything I had to put into making these.” The vendor assured, a few feathers flaring up.

“Oh, w-we were just surprised, sorry. We didn’t bring anything to pay with. We’ll just be going now.” Luz sputtered, backing away from the stand.  
  
“Then I suggest next time, you don’t play with something you can’t afford, young one.” The avian commented, slightly annoyed.  
  
Luz and Azi both walked away from the stand, venturing to some other point in the market, but the human noticed how different her friend seemed now. She had a pensive scowl on her face, always taking the occasional glance back in the direction that the Jewelry Vendor had been. It was somewhat disconcerting, and it came to a head when Azi’s hand left Luz’s shoulder.

“Hey, Luz? Why don’t you do me a favour and stay here for a moment. I think I saw somebody I knew from my hometown back there, gonna go see if that’s true.” She said, though her voice did not have the enthusiasm of someone looking to reunite with an old friend.

“Um, what about us sticking together? I don’t really wanna be alone in this place.” Luz nervously protested.

“Don’t. Worry. I’ll just be gone for a minute.”  
  
With not another word, Azi stormed off back in the direction they had just come from. Luz was left alone by a random market stand, not even able to see her friend amidst the crowds now walking the paths. She turned to the place she was standing beside to see a relatively normal humanoid man in a cloak, with the notable distinction that he had _no mouth._

“Um, hello. W-What are you selling?” Luz asked with a wobbly smile.  
  
The man said nothing before pulling out a small platter of mouths, all smiling and talking amongst themselves.  
  
“Oh.”

Luz held herself closely, pulling her cat hoodie over her head and trying to stay away from any figure she deemed looked too unsavory, luckily, there didn’t seem to be any such figures, but it didn’t help to calm her anxiety.

But then, a loud amount of shouting spiked that anxiety into dread, and the crowds of customers parted in surprise as Azi came barreling down towards Luz.

“ALRIGHT TIME TO GO!” She shouted, grabbing Luz by her wrist and yanking her away, almost causing the two to crash into a particularly beefy reptilian. They rushed down the marketplace paths, Azi’s head whipping from left to right in a matter of seconds as she tried to look for a way out. Luckily, there seemed to be an opening away from the night time emporium in the form of an alleyway between two buildings. Hyde smiled in relief whilst Luz shouted in panic as they raced towards that backstreet. As soon as they were well out of sight from the main path, Azi dragged both of them behind a stack of trash.

“Azi, what’s you- MMPH?!” Luz was interrupted as a hand slapped over her mouth, Hyde shushing her as they both sat painfully still. The taller girl kept a slight lookout, peeking over the trash pile every so often to check for… something, Luz didn’t know. After a few minutes, Azi sighed in relief and dropped her hand from Luz’s mouth.

“Sorry, Luz. Didn’t mean to scare you there.” She apologized, though her tone sounded as though she didn’t mean it.

“What’s wrong with you?! You almost gave me a heart attack!” Luz hissed in frustration.

  
“Yeah, turns out that… _somebody_ I saw did know me, though not in a good way. Had to make a quick getaway before he took my thumbs.” Azi smiled, and stood back up, helping Luz to her feet and brushing her off for good measure.

“You could’ve given me a warning.”

“No time. Plus, that wasn’t my only reason for going back there.”  
  
Azi let go of her friend before reaching into her pocket and gently pulling out that same Obsidian Pendant that Luz had been eying a while back. All the frustration and annoyance fell from her face as she gasped in surprise.  
  
“Azi, did you… But, it cost so much, how’d you pay for it?”  
  
“I haggled,” No further explanation was offered after that, but Azi reached around behind Luz’s neck and carefully chained up the necklace so that it hung right below her collar, “Besides, pretty girl like you? It’s worth it.”  
  
Luz blushed at the blatant flirting, a hand cupping the owl pendant to try and distract herself. She was speechless to say the least.  
  
“I’m sorry for rushing you back there, really, but maybe that’ll help make up for it? Plus, we’re almost to where I wanted to head to. C’mon.”  
  
Azi grabbed Luz’s hand gently and strolled back out into the empty streets of Bonesborough, looking briefly once again for, presumably, her old ‘friend’ before starting her trek once again. The two stayed in relative silence for the time being whilst they ventured farther and farther away from the town’s center and towards the outskirts, specifically toward a large hill bordering the last of the buildings. They left the pavement for dirt paths, Azi snaking herself behind Luz and cupping her hands around her companion’s eyes.  
  
“No peeking, now. It’s a surprise.”  
  
“You better not be pulling another prank-”  
  
“Trust me, it’s nothing like that. Don’t worry, I won’t let you fall”  
  
Luz could feel herself ascending that hill she took note of, going higher and higher till she felt a bit tired from the climbing. Luckily, Azi seemed to have finally reached her destination, stopping both of them and carefully turning them around.  
  
“Okay, aaaand-” She removed her hands from Luz’s eyes, “Ta-da!”

Luz gasped in wonder for what seemed like the hundredth time that easy, breath leaving her body as she took in the wonderful sight of Bonesborough illuminated by the moonlight, basking the town in a soft glow whilst the nightlife of markets, inns, taverns and shops still open glowed and hummed from within the streets. She had never seen the city like this before, not even during the incident with the Moonlight Conjuring. There was nothing in her vocabulary to describe the view properly.

“Speechless, huh? Didn’t figure that was an option for you.” Azi held her head high with pride, gently lowering her friend to the ground so they could sit and take in the view. “I’m glad you like it, though. I spotted it on my way into town and figured it’d be the perfect place to end the night.”  
  
“Azi… I love it. Thank you.”  
  
The two said nothing as they stayed on that hilltop for what seemed like forever, Luz still grasping gently onto her pendant.

~0~

“-With wild hair, and… Oh, and these weirdly bright green eyes!”  
  
The Comformatorium guard nodded in response, taking down notes as the exasperated avian vendor he was interviewing detailed what had just happened to him.  
  
“And what did you say was stolen, again?” The guard asked, completing the stick figure sketch of the suspect in what seemed like blatant thievery.

“A owl pendant necklace, made of obsidian. She and her friend seemed to have taken interest in it when they first came by, but then only the tall, shifty one came back after they had left. She pointed out something behind me, and.. I m-mean, um, she clocked me above my head, and then snagged the necklace from the table and ran off cackling!” The birdman said, wringing his hands in embarrassment.

“Riiiight. Okay, did you happen to catch either of these girls’ names?” The guard was now doodling on what was supposed to be a professional sketch, trying to make it seem like he was doing something important.

“No, not that I… Oh, wait! I do remember one! The weird looking one called the thief ‘Azi’ at one point.”  
  
“Thank you very much sir. Don’t you worry, this seems like a relatively open and shut case. Once we get this over to the rest of the guards, this wannabe shoplifter will be locked up in the Comformatorium for a while.”  
  
“Thank you, that’s a comfort to hear… Is, um, Is there going to be some sort of compensation for my losses?”  
  
“Don’t push your luck, pal.”


	5. Chief of Sinners, Chief of Sufferers

“Mittens… Is there something going on?”

Amity looked up from her homework to see both Edric and Emira walk into her room, both with concerned looks on their faces. She set down the page of homework she was currently working on, turning away from her desk to face them.

“Why do you guys always barge in here, unannounced? Can’t I get a moment of peace?” She said, exasperated.

“Mi-” Edric sighed, sitting down on his little sister’s bed whilst Emira stayed standing. “Amity, we’re being serious, there’s seriously something up with you recently. You’re looking way more tired than usual, you’re getting really snappy at everyone, we-”

“We’re worried about you, Amity. Look… I know we both poke fun at you more times than you can count, but we still care about you! Please, just tell us what’s wrong!”

What was wrong?

Was there… something wrong?

“You guys wouldn’t understand. Besides, it's not a problem. Mind your own business.” She tried to turn back around to her desk, but both twins had moved to keep her in place, standing on each side of her with a hand on each shoulder.

“No, Amity, when it comes to our little sister’s wellbeing-”

“-It is our business. Spill the beans, please, let us help if something’s wrong!”

Amity sat still, held in place by her siblings, whilst she was left to stew in her guilt. She felt awful for not telling them what was going on, they seemed to care so much. But, even if she were to tell them, where would she start?

Where to start?

~0~

She could start by telling them about the day after the "Pendant Incident…"

_“NONONONONONO-”_ _  
_ _  
_ _Amity paced around the room, clutching at her head whilst trying to figure out what infernal force compelled her to steal, of all things._

_“Why would you do that?! Why?!” She growled, kicking the empty antidote bottle as she paced around the room. “It was just supposed to be a simple hangout, why did you turn it into a heist, Blight?!”_

_The night itself was almost as blurry as a childhood memory, but that singular moment when Amity snatched the pendant and ran off through the market was as clear as day to her. It was almost like her memories wanted her to suffer through the guilt. The worst part for her was how easy the choice was, like it was something instinctual. She had money on her last night (She’s a Blight, of course she would’ve brought money), she could’ve bought ten of those necklaces, but there had been something so… enticing about the thought of stealing that pendant, especially for Luz._

_  
_ _“There’s… There’s something wrong with that potion. It made me do that, that’s gotta be the only explanation. I’ve never wanted to be a thief, there’s nothing in my mind that’s ever wanted to be a thief!”_

**_‘But it wasn’t about the stealing, was it?’_ **

_Amity paused her pacing, considering this thought for a moment._

_“B-But, I-”_ _  
_ _  
_ **_‘It wasn’t. It was the principle. That guy was charging WAY too high a price, he was a cheat, a hack. Even if we had the Snails, he didn't deserve any of them. Plus, you saw how happy Luz was when you showed her that necklace. You wanna take that away, take the potion away?'_ **

_"Stealing, though? I would never…"_

**_'Someone offended a proud Blight with no shame, and you're surprised you took drastic action? If it were Mother or Father, a worse fate would have befallen him. He's lucky it was just a theft. If you're so worried, just be more careful next time. It's not the potion's fault you're learning more about yourself than you were expecting.'_ **

_These thoughts… They felt different than before. Her mind felt different, now that she thought about it. It didn't feel like natural conclusions or spur of the moment ideas, but more like arguments forced upon her. But, that didn't seem right. It was her thoughts speaking to her, not another person. Why did her own brain feel so foreign to her?_

_Still, she couldn't argue with what she had thought up. It was true, she had thought the price exorbitant at the time, so the theft must've an impulse deriving from her need to get petty revenge._

_"I guess that's a good point… Just be more careful next time. Plus, the feelings I got from last night, being so close to Luz, I don't know if I could just give that up so easily."_

_Amity finally stopped pacing, taking in a deep breath and calming her panicking heart. She brushed her disheveled hair out of her eyes and checked the time. She had woken up far earlier than she was supposed to thanks to her fear, so she needed to see how many more hours till she had to ready for scho-_

_Oh._

_Not hours._

_Minutes._

_At most, she had slept an hour, maybe less._

~0~

Or maybe how she was starting to act around her friends...

_"You look terrible, Amity!"_

_The youngest Blight looked up from her arms, her head previously buried in then in a vain attempt to get some shut eye. She was met with the worried faces of Gus, Willow, and especially Luz, looking down at her whilst holding their lunch trays._

_"Luz is right, you look like you haven't been sleeping at all," Gus chimed in, "Listen, I'm no stranger to all-nighters, but you've got to take a break for yourself at some point!"_

_"Nevermind a break, you look like you could use a whole week to sleep!" Willow blurted out, looking somewhat ashamed afterwards._

_"H-Hey guys… Nice necklace, Luz," Amity muttered in a haze._

_"Amity, you're changing the subject! There's something wrong, I can tell!" The human girl sat down right next to the witch, which would usually spark a myriad of feelings in her gut, but now she didn't even have the energy to muster a blush._

_"I'm fine, just taking a few extra hours at night to study, practice my speech for the community center too. Trust me, if there was something wrong, I’d tell you."_

_At least she was getting better at lying._

~0~

Or that time at the cliff side, that would warrant conversation...

_“Isn’t this place amazing? I heard about it from the locals and I knew we had to come!” Amity asked, safely disguised under the veneer of Hyde._ _She and Luz were standing right above a high cliff on the outskirts of the Boiling Isles, quite a distance away from Bonesborough. It was a relatively secluded part of the local, obscured by trees and rocks, and one could easily think that it was a simple cliff, similar to all the rest of the elevated isles of the land. But this one was different. It was the highest SURVIVABLE cliff jump in all the Boiling Isles._

_It’s nickname? Plummet of Shattered Bones._

_The water below was relatively clear, save for the teeny tiny detail of large, pointy rock spikes dotting the shoreline, making for a big area of extreme danger if one were, to say, jump._

_“We have to jump, we have to!" Amity cheered, beckoning Luz to agree._

_But the human was having none of it. "Azi, I've done dangerous things before, but there's usually a big chance of getting out okay. THAT looks like a death trap, plain and simple."_

_"Oh, c'mon, live a little!" Amity taunted._

_"I am living! I'd like to KEEP living." Luz tried backing away from the edge, but the witch gently pulled her back._

_"Want me to go first? Show you how it's really done?"_

_With no hesitation, Amity took a running start and leapt right off the cliff, fully clad in her clothes, and howled joyfully before hitting the surface of the sunset-colored waves._

_She remained below the water for a few minutes, grinning ear to ear at the reaction she would hopefully draw, and when she surfaced, she cackled in satisfaction at Luz's panicked face._

_Wading above the surface, she cupped her hands around her mouth. "Come on down, the water's fine." She shouted, waving her hands towards herself in case her words didn't reach her friend._

_A whole slew of what seemed to be objections echoed faintly from Luz whilst shaking her head, stepping backwards_

**_'Aw, that's no fun. She just needs some_ ** **_encouragement_ ** **_'_ **

_Beneath the waves, the wild haired girl concentrated hard on casting a very specific Abomination spell, not necessarily powerful but definitely precise. She casted the spell circle beneath the water, out of sight from Luz._

_In the distance, at the top of the cliff, Amity watched as a small purple blob appeared behind Luz and, in one quick move, pushed the poor girl off the cliff screaming. When she splashed into the ocean, the taller girl swam over the spot and waited._

_She was met with lots of shouting and splashing, and a very angry face._

_"Aw, don't be like that. It was fun, right?"_

~0~

And the stuff with her mirror...

_Something was wrong with her reflection._

_Amity stared long and hard at it in the bathroom mirror, trying to find that mysterious imperfection that she knew had to exist._

_She got closer, turning her head from side to side, thinking maybe she saw a pimple or something more adolescent. When nothing was found, she began debating whether it was an image of self confidence, but she didn't note any of those thoughts of thoughts. Maybe the bags under her eyes? No, she was long since used to those._

_She took a step backwards, waiting a second for her reflection to catch up, and tried to think on what else could b-_

_Wait._

_Wait._

_Her eyes widened considerably as she realized what she had just glimpsed. She almost screamed in fear of what she had just seemed, but she knew she needed to be certain that was something real and not just some side effect from the numerous days she hadn't slept._

_She raised her hand up, her reflection following with no lag in its step. Good so far._

_She snapped her fingers, the mirror visage doing the same with no fault. Nothing strange yet._

_She began lowering her hand back down to her side, but whilst her reflection did the same, she quickly changed her tune and raised it back up, snapping her fingers once again and lowering her hand back down, fully this time._

_This time, there was no mistaking it. Her reflection had been seemingly caught off guard by the change in directions and took but one second of panic before trying to catch back up with the real Amity._

_Her reflection was… almost independent of her._

_She wanted to scream, to run and look away, but there was an even creepier detail that captivated her attention._

_The Amity in the mirror now seemed to be… scowling at the real one._

_An expression that the witch was certainly not making._

_~0~_

Or… Boscha.

_"Is there something you want to say to my face?"_

_It had been calm for a while._

_It was a weekend, precious moments of respite from school, and Amity, as Azi, and Luz had been walking about in the plaza, the human having convinced the witch to take it easy after the stunt she pulled at the cliff side. Even then, it almost hadn't been. When Amity had tried to invite Luz out and about, she at first declined and stated that there was 'someone she needed to check on'. Thinking two steps ahead, the Blight had sent a message as her normal self to her friend, convincing her to go out and about without her, that she'd be taking the day to rest up and relax._

_So, instead, now Luz and Amity were taking a midday stroll through the village. It was the first time Azi had been seen in sunlight, or better put, the first time Azi_ **_saw_ ** _sunlight._

_It had been calm for a moment, relatively passive, but the pair had passed by a group of teens loitering by a general store, Boscha and Skara amidst them._

_Amity noticed almost immediately that they immediately took notice of them as they passed, quieting down and smirking at the two. As soon as they were but a foot away, her keen senses picked up on small whispers._

_They were talking behind their backs._

_"_ **_Pfft, there goes the human and her freakishly weird friend."_ **

**_"I barely see her around, and when I do they're always attached at the hip. I bet the human cursed her into following her around."_ **

**_"What about her and Amity? I thought they were like… you know?”_ **

**_“With the amount of times she locks herself in her room, I’d be surprised if Luz even remembers Little Miss Perfe-”_ **

_“Is there something you want to say to my face?” In one split second, the tall girl turned heel and marched over to the antagonizing group, hands on her hips and a malicious smirk on her face. Luz rushed over, panicked, and tried to call her away but she wouldn’t budge._

_Most of the adolescents seemed to shy away at the discovery of their gossip, but Boscha stayed resolute in her comments, staring up at the girl with confidence._

_“Oh, please. Don’t pretend to be deaf. I’m sure you heard what I said.”_ __  
_  
_ _“Then you might wanna take it back.”_

_“Azi, it’s fine, just ignore them.”_

_Boscha scoffed at the threat Amity had just thrown, crossing her arms and throwing up an eyebrow mockingly. “Uh huh, sure. You may be a freak, but that doesn’t make you tough. In fact, you and the human practically belong together, with how alike you are.”_

_Amity stepped a bit closer, practically looming over the triclops. Her hands clenched into fists._

_“Is that so?” Her eyes were wide in rage, but her smirk never left her face._

_“Azi, please, it’s okay, there’s no point, trust me!”_

_“O-ho, you DON’T wanna try that. I’ll put you in the dirt faster than you could throw a punch”_

_Boscha started to form a spell in defiance, but as soon as her finger raised to form the circle. The wild girl’s hand shot out and wrapped around her hand tightly, gripping it with painful strength. Boscha yelped, and tried to use her other hand to cast something to protect herself, but Amity grabbed it too and tightened her grip. She shouted in pain, the taller girl forcing her down to her knees. The other teens scattered as soon as they saw the comings of an altercation, leaving Boscha undefended._

_“S-Stop, freak! Augh, you’re gonna break my hands!” She half-pleaded, tears pricking up her eyes._

_“Aw, what’s wrong? Not tough enough to go hand to hand? Or do you need magic for everything?” She was enjoying this, more than she should have; something about this was_ **_far_ ** _more cathartic than usual._

_“Azi! Stop!”_

_The witch leaned in close, right next to Boscha’s ear, whilst tightening her grip to the point the triclops actually started crying. “I don’t wanna hear one more word whispered out of you, about_ ** _anybody._** _I hear even a snicker, I’ll find you and make_ ** _sure_** _you can’t use magic again.”_

_“I-I didn’t even say th-that much about you!”_

_“Oh, don’t push your luck. You’ve said enough.”_

_WIth that, she slammed her hands down to her knees, finally releasing them from the vice grip and standing back up straight. Boscha cradled her hands with her arms, the fingers almost seeming bruised with the pressure. She stared back up at her with fear, to which the girl simply turned around with Luz, walking away._

_“C’mon, Luz. I’m done here.” She placed an arm on her shoulder and walked away, whilst Luz took a glance back at Boscha apologetically._

~0~

So many incidents, so many things she has picked up on, Amity knew there was _something_ going on that should be worrying her, something that she should talk to people about…

But she couldn't.

She couldn't give the potion up, the feeling of freedom and euphoria it brought her. It was the only time she felt truly independent, truly herself. If she told Ed, or Em, or anyone, they'd take it away from her.

She couldn't take that, especially after everything she had accomplished as Hyde.

So, instead of confiding in her siblings, instead of coming clean, Amity roughly shrugged off their hands from their shoulders and turned back around.

"Leave me alone, there's nothing going on."

"Mitt-"

"Stop! I don't want to hear it from you two!" She stood up from her seat, shouting as she started to back the two twins into the doorway. "If there was something going on, I would've told you, plain and simple! You guys just think that because I don't party, or mess around, or do any of the things that you guys do, that it makes me a freak! So, why don't you do me a favor, and just leave!"

As soon as Edric and Emira had unconsciously left her room, she slammed the door in their faces, locking it and even using a spell to move her dresser in front of the passage to keep them out for good.

She listened as they knocked and pleaded for her to open up, but she growled in annoyance, sitting back down at her desk and picking up her homework again.

After all, she still had way too much to do if she was planning on 'going out' tonight…


End file.
